Do you prefer Gibson or Fender guitars, and why?

Hi Dan,

That's a bit like the Ford/Vauxhall; Football/Cricket; type questions! I guess we tend to like what we hear in the music we gravitate towards, and what we get exposed to.

I like both Fender and Gibson guitars, but always head towards Gibsons because they defined more of the sounds I followed - Led Zeppelin, Focus, ZZ Top, Gary Moore etc. Of course Hendrix is up there, and Rory Gallagher, Ritchie Blackmore on Fender but there were just more Gibsons making the sound I wanted to hear and make!

They definitely sound and play quite different though, and you can pin down why: -

Gibson - mahogany neck/body (neck inset and glued); 24.75" scale length; humbucker or heavy wound single-coils. (Les Paul, SG, Flying V etc)

Fender - ash/alder body with bolt-on maple neck; 25.5" scale length, light wound single-coils.

I find the Gibsons have a richer native tone (more fruity), but can sound muddy and/or harsh, and the shorter-scale makes them easier on the bends,  while Fenders have a more neutral, articulate tone that is more versatile, and are slightly harder to play with the longer scale length.

What do you think? Anybody else?

Paul

I was a professional musician for over 20 years (My instruments were tuba and double bass) However, I learnt guitar when I was 7 which lead to the start of my musical career.  I still play guitar now and finally ended up using a Fender Telecaster as my all round guitar.. From rock to jazz (I use it even in Traditional big bands) I found it the nicest guitar to record as the single coils are so clean.. This isn't to say that I'm not a fan of Gibson guitars as I own a Gibson DSM acoustic which  I can beat the living daylights out of :-)

I generally found that Gibson guitars were rather heavy and in the case of the SG often suffered with tuning issues eg: They went out of tune quicker than my Telecaster..  The Les Paul neck is a little too chunky for my hands as well otherwise I'd have one in a shot. To that end I bought a Gordon Smith Graduate as my 'thicker sound' guitar as it is almost indistinguishable in sound to a Les Paul, slightly lighter and has a beautiful neck ..

In conclusion, too me, guitars were tools of my trade and I went for simply what worked, rather than what looked nice or even what would be a 'status symbol' in some cases..

I'm probably biased in this respect, as Fenders aren't suited to the sort of music I tend to play - I usually associate Fenders with blues and jazz, whereas, when I played bass on a regular bassist, I was more into rock and metal - and Gibsons have always seemed better-suited to this type of music.

Personal Experience

I've got a Schecter Hellraiser bass that I'm really happy with, though, but my ideal instrument would be a cream Gibson SG bass...they look gorgeous! I've played Fenders before, and they just don't feel as nice to play - for me, anyway.

My brother's a serious musician and he's had more guitars than I can count on my fingers, but he always goes back to the Gibsons - again, it depends on what type of music you want to play. He's into classic rock and fast-paced metal.

I think the amplifier is just as important as the instrument, though. You can't beat a Marshall amp and a Gibson guitar combo, in my opinion!

I prefer Fender but only with a maple fret board. I also like Gibson/Epiphone with a rosewood fret board. They are really different sounding and very different feel to each one. If I were playing a cross over country type of music I would opt for the Fender Strat. If I were playing Southern Rock or Blues, it would have to go to a Les Paul or ES335. If you know how to use effects, I suppose you could get away with either. That is why I built my own version of a Tele Les Paul. The electronic configuration gives me options of clean and bright or dirty and full OR Clean and Full....The way I have the Bill Lawrence pickups wired, I have about 15 different combinations of pickup options. Couldn't get what I wanted at a store so I built my own. My next one will be of it's own body style, dual humbuckers (probably over wound DiMarzios) and a whammy bar (Mighty Mite or Buckner) Floyd Rose systems are too complex with all of the locking stuff!! OOps,,,,got carried away.